Hurricane Sandy Updates:Check http://www.boatus.com/hurricanes/ for the latest information on Hurricane Sandy. Be Safe.**Italicized text above and below indicates our comment or paraphrase. Plain text is copied from the Notices to Mariners or other sources given.Attention Snowbirds:New Lock Schedule, Okeechobee Waterway: 1. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District has announced it will change the operating hours at locks on the Okeechobee Waterway in accordance with a national strategy to standardize lock operations. The change is scheduled to take effect November 13,...... Read More

CHANGE OF LATITUDEContributed by kismet - This blog has been viewed 991 times and there are 0 comments

By Jim FavorsThe time finally came for us to trailer Kismet from Florida to the Great Lakes and our hometown of Traverse City. With the onset of spring and melting winter snow and ice, it was time to head home. Our road trip took us through six states, from the flatness of Florida and southern Georgia to the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains, in Northern Georgia and Tennessee. Passing through Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, we encountered the farmlands of Ohio on our way home to Northern Michigan. With approximately 1,800 miles behind us, almost the entire trip was made on I-7...... Read More

Attention Snowbirds:Canaveral Lock Restrictions: Summary of a Notice to Navigation Interests, USACE Jacksonville, August 31, 2012: The Canaveral Lock (28.408777°-80.637077°) is in need of repair, a contract is expected to be awarded soon and construction is expected to begin in October, 2012 and continue for approximately 6 months. Beginning in October, 2012 when construction begins, the Canaveral Lock is scheduled to open for vessel passage only between 6:00 am - 7:00 am, and 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Monday-Friday. There will be no lock restrictions on weekends. Any vessel that ne...... Read More

Neat StuffContributed by Tom Neale - This blog has been viewed 798 times and there are 0 comments

Every so often I tell you about new neat stuff with which Ive had personal experience. I write about things that I have in my hands rather than from press releases. There are two new neat products out there that you may want to know about.

Winterizing Made EasierThe Sea Flush allows you to winterize your engine, generator and air conditioner, as well as do other jobs, without pulling off a hose and then (assuming you didn't destroy it getting it off) trying to get that hose back on the barb.

1. No matter what system you use, it’s a very good idea to secure the shore power cable, where it comes aboard, by an appropriate method. This could be a line around a stanchion and the cable or some other method to prevent it from moving on the boat and stressing the connection on the boat as the boat moves around in the slip. The cable should have enough play between the shore power pedestal and the boat to accommodate boat movement without pulling at the plug at either end. The cable should also be secured at the pedestal end so that if someone, for example trips over it, the cable won...... Read More

Reality CheckContributed by DGnewikow - This blog has been viewed 1455 times and there are 0 comments

For those who suffer through my blog regularly, you know I am a pretty intense weekend tournament fisherman. I compete in 25+ events a year and fish two divisions of the Bassmaster Weekend Series. I chose the weekend series because it lines up well with my sponsors, the schedules are good and the events are run incredibly well. The WE series consists of five tournaments. Four one-day events, and a two-day divisional championship worth double points. With four events completed in the TN Central and in the Kentucky Divisions, I was sitting in first place in points in TN Central and second in Kent...... Read More

As an outdoors writer, I receive invitations to many events. These events afford the opportunity to travel. These trips aren't vacations, I bust my tail! Last month I was invited to the Nitro Boats Press event at Big Cedar Lodge on Table Rock Lake, Missouri. I cleared out my guide schedule and brought all of my columns and reports up to date before I took off. Packing was simple for this three-day whirlwind tour of some of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet. Nowadays packing includes camera equipment, a digital recorder and computer equipment. Dollahon PR scheduled a fast-paced agend...... Read More

Womens RoundtableContributed by kismet - This blog has been viewed 1029 times and there are 0 comments

By Lisa Targal FavorsWith approximately 40 female members in attendance at the Women’s Roundtable session (during the MTOA 2012 Southern Rendezvous in Fernandina Beach, Florida), I looked forward to a little lighthearted bonding with some of my female counterparts who were assembling in the meeting room. As the appointed time approached, the chatter died down, attention quickly moved to the front of the room as the moderator, Sue Wingginton called the session to order. I guess I could safely state that female cruisers have some unique concerns about their boating lifestyle, ones their m...... Read More